2019 Term Dates

Staff Insights

Homework/Home Learning: A valued element of student learning at Radford College

Radford College has a clear policy on homework or home learning, as it is referred to in our Junior School. The policy can be read here and the benefits for Radford students are distilled in the points below:

Provides another opportunity for teachers to gain feedback about student learning from the classroom so they can plan for differentiated learning experiences, and, most importantly

Embeds surface learning undertaken in the classroom in terms of skills, knowledge and understanding, enabling deep learning to occur.

During the Secondary School's staff days, our teachers learned more from Dr Jared Horvath, a neuroscientist from Melbourne University, about the science of learning and how we need to employ certain pedagogies in our teaching to help our students to move from surface, to deep, to transfer learning. He calls it the learning trajectory. The completion of homework plays a part at Radford in assisting our students in embedding their learning and also having more time to work independently and think for themselves.

In the 2018 MMG Parent Survey, feedback about the implementation of our Homework/Home Learning policy was provided by Year 2–12 parents that we are responding to as a College. One important piece of feedback was that we need to ensure that homework is set consistently across classes in both the Junior School and the Secondary School. In the Junior School from this term, students and parents can see the home learning for the week published from the start of a week via Sways on ROL. In the Secondary School, all students have a diary to write their homework in while we are looking as a school at how we can use Seqta more for the publishing of homework. All assessment tasks are easily accessible to parents and teachers through Seqta.

Other feedback from parents was about the importance of homework being checked by teachers and then informing parents if it is not completed on a regular basis. The Secondary School is continuing to use the diary as the place for teachers to inform parents and carers if homework has not been completed. Given homework is being used by teachers, in addition to work in the classroom, as a formative assessment tool and assisting them in planning the next learning experiences, it is important that students complete homework activities regularly and to the best of their ability.

Over the past five years, the College has reviewed its Homework/Home Learning policy and its implementation a number of times to ensure it continues to assist our students in improving in their learning in the Junior and Secondary schools. It is an age-appropriate policy and acknowledges the needs of students in the year they are currently in, as well as thinking about their needs as learners in the future.

Rev. Erin Tuineau

Matters for reflection during Lent

Chaplain’s Reflection: Week 6, Term 1

Sometimes when you hear someone speak or write about something that they have a deep passion for, you feel moved by what they say. Your spirit awakens inside of you and you think to yourself ‘What this person is saying really matters and needs to be heard’. I had the experience of being ‘moved’ twice this week, which I will explain below.

In Year 9 Chapel this week, we heard one of the history teachers speak about the silence that surrounds the horrendous violence that happened to Indigenous communities at the time of white settlement in Australia. I had heard of some of these stories, but I never realized just how widespread this violence was until this Year 9 Chapel. When you hear about this sort of violence you do not feel anything. Not even sadness. Just numbness. It comes as such a shock, I don’t think our brains know how to comprehend it. But I knew I had to keep listening, because this was about the history of the country I call home. And it was much worse than I had ever realized. The truth is overwhelming, and that is why I think Australians find it so hard to accept. We pride ourselves on being a ‘peaceful nation’ but when you face the reality of our past, and the horrific suffering that the Indigenous people experienced, this pride goes by the wayside. So, when the history teacher sharing these untold truths said to us that they were deeply ashamed of being Australian, in light of all of this knowledge, that is when I felt like crying, because there is nothing else left to feel. And this teacher also said that the only way forward for us as a nation is if non-Indigenous Australian start listening to Indigenous individuals and communities as equals, rather than from a place of superiority. This gives us all something to seriously consider and work towards.

The other time this week when I felt moved was when I read my husband’s annual report for his parish’s AGM. For those of you that do not know, he is also an Anglican priest, and much of his ministry is with the elderly who live in nursing homes around Canberra. In his report, he spoke about the fact that while the people he ministers to are very old, and in the last stretch of their lives, they are not dead yet. He goes onto say that many of them are incredibly lonely and in a lot of pain, both emotionally and physically. In the church we often put so much emphasis on attracting younger people to our communities of faith, which is understandable since they are often the generation which are not present at our church services, but this often comes at the expense of ignoring the elderly in our community. Somehow, the lives of the young have become more valuable than the lives of the elderly. To my knowledge, there is nothing in the Bible that suggests that this is true in any way. I think that maybe it has become the western way of thinking about the elderly, as our society puts so much emphasis on people being able to achieve things to prove that they are valuable to others. We do not even like using the word ‘old’ to describe someone as we are afraid we might offend them, not because being old is intrinsically bad, but because we have attached our own negative connotations to the word. We have forgotten how to simply value to presence of our elders. The stories of wisdom they have to pass down to us. We have lost so much of the beauty that comes with different generations constantly interacting with each other. This benefits both the young and the old, and everyone in between.

It is my hope that this Lent we might let the voices of others move our spirits. Sometimes we will feel moved to shame or sadness. And it is ok to feel these things. Christ will always be there to guide us back into the light and enable us to use these feelings as a positive force to bring about change in our world where it is most needed.

Karen Mahar, Acting Head of Junior School

Important dates

Grandparents and Grand Friends

"A grandfather is someone with silver in his hair and gold in his heart." – Unknown

Whether they go by the names Grandma and Grandpa, Nana, Grandpop, Pepe, Nonna, Yaya – there's no question that grandparents are one of the greatest sources of love in a child’s life. It's during days like last Friday, when our Grandparents and Grand Friends are welcomed into our learning spaces, when we witness the magic of unconditional love in action.

"What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humour, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies." – Rudolph Giuliani

Year 1 inquiry

The year 1 students are inquiring into Where we Are in Place and Time. They are taking action by exploring the cubby village and establishing agreements around how to care for the village.

Isabelle - I loved playing in the vet because I liked to care for the animals. I’m going to be a good custodian by always leaving it tidy.

Rohan - I liked playing in the emergency centre because I dressed up as a Police Man. I’m going to be a good custodian by hanging the dress ups back on their hooks.

Mali - I loved playing in the Police station and I wore the headphones like a real emergency. I’m going to be a good custodian by sharing the equipment and tidying it all away.

Their inquiry involves exploring shared ownership along with the rights and responsibilities that come with ownership or custodianship.

The cubby village was created over the summer break and has been an ideal way for Year 1 students to explore custodianship.

Ryan – When I played in the cubby village I like the hamburger shop because I liked cooking burgers and chips. I’m going to care for the village by making sure the windows and doors are closed after lunch.

Sophie C – I like playing in the ice cream shop because you get to make ice creams and sell them to the customers. I’m going to be a good custodian by putting things back where I found them.

Siobhan – I loved planting the snow peas near the cubby village. I’m going to be a good custodian by watering them lots so they grow up big and we can eat them!

We are very appreciative of the efforts and commitment of Beth Maggs and Melinda Hamilton in bringing this project to fruition. Their dedication to this project has been admirable. The design and resourcing for the cubby village reflect the ideas from our Kinder and Year 1 students late in 2018.

Constructed by Russell, who went above and beyond expectations, these cubbies are best described as “Russellesque” and “Beth-taking” and “Mel-luxurious”.

Summer Sport

There’s a great deal to celebrate, and achievements to acknowledge, as many students wind up summer sport and make plans preparing for winter sports.

Last week saw a very successful Year 1 & 2 swimming carnival, complemented by a fun-filled and memorable Beach and Boardies session for our Pre K and K students.

Congratulations to our U 11 boys cricket team who came from behind to steal victory from the last ball to win what many described as an almost unwinnable match.

Congratulations on the sense of fair play displayed by both our boys and girls AFL teams who represented our school with pride last week. Our victorious girls AFL team were successful in making it through to the next round of competition. They are only two wins away from playing in Sydney on the famous SCG.

With so many Radford sporting teams currently competing or preparing for upcoming competitions, there are always plenty of stories of sustained effort, resilience and perseverance against the odds to share.

Being the best version of yourself is your best chance for success and reaching personal goals. While not everyone can come first, anyone can aim to be the best version of themselves.

The following shout outs are examples of students displaying behaviours reflecting noteworthy qualities and values. They are not so much about winning but demonstrations of students seeking to be the best version of themselves.

Week 5

Shout outs

K

Millicent Unwin for being a risk taker and demonstrating enthusiasm.

Sophia Buttsworth for showing respect and kindness towards others.

Eric Zheng for being a respectful class member who cooperates at all times.

Yongmin Yin for being enthusiastic and always doing the right thing at the right time.

Year 1

Ziqiu Wang Displaying teamwork by caring for the playground equipment.

Harry Wang for showing respect and caring for the new cubby village.

Lexi Ritchie for displaying commitment and risk-taking in her attitude and applications to her learning.

Peter FuDisplaying commitment to his learning by reflecting on his work.

Year 2

Thomas O'Leary for being a risk taker and showing a love of learning.

Kate Loan for being a risk taker and constantly displaying a love of learning.

William Wild for his infectious positivity and enthusiasm towards school life at Radford College.

Georgia Brooks for being kind and considerate to her class mates.

Year 3

Priya Rathod for being an independent and principled learner.

James Todd for being principled in his actions and showing care for his peers.

Megan Espleand for being an inquirer and asking lots interesting questions on the Zoo excursion.

Emily Bull for the kindness and caring she shows in helping others.

Zara Hezkial for being a thinker and reflecting on her learning and the ideas of peers.

Year 4

Sophia Syed for her commitment to learning and making responsible choices.

Zi You Qiu for being an inquirer and showing a love of learning.

James King for demonstrating care and kindness to others.

Peter Gordiev for being an inquirer with his personal research task.

Isla Murphy for being both a creative and critical thinker during discussion time.

Year 5

Evie Buttsworth for displaying outstanding perseverance and commitment in the playground challenge.

Oscar Field for displaying social intelligence and a principled attitude.

Ned Harris for displaying honesty and integrity in his approach to his learning.

Chloe Mailler for demonstrating commitment, enthusiasm and independence settling into Year 5

In a new initiative, we are asking that students please attend these interviews with their parents or caregivers.

Booking Information• Bookings for Secondary School Parent Teacher Student Interviews are made through Radford Online. Your Radford Online user name and password are printed on the top of your child’s 2019 Commencement Letter. A Radford Online user guide is available on our website.

• Bookings open on Monday 18 March at 7.00 am and close midnight the night before each interview day. We encourage you to make bookings early to avoid inconvenience or disappointment. The interview time with each teacher will be five minutes.

• Please click on the tile on the Radford Online dashboard titled Secondary School Parent Teacher Interviews (tile will be visible from 7.00 am on Monday 18 March). Please ensure that any Ad Blocker is turned off or disabled for this site as your logon page will not appear. If you are using Safari on a Mac the popup blocker is found in the settings section. Most other browsers have an icon that appears at the far right of the address bar. Click on it and “allow for this site”.If you have any problems booking your interview, please contact Main Reception on 6162 6200 or reception@radford.act.edu.au

Student Finishing Times on Interview daysStudents in Years 7–12 will be dismissed from class at 2.35 pm on Tuesday 2 April and Monday 8 April as interviews commence at 3.00 pm. • Students in Years 7–10 not travelling directly home at 2.35 pm are asked to report to the Secondary School Library where supervision will be provided• Students in Year 11 and 12 will be dismissed at 2.35 pm and are free to leave the College at that time if they are not required for interviews• Unless advised otherwise, cocurricular activities will operate as usual• School buses will run as per the normal schedule from 3.30 pm.

ParkingParking for parents is available in the car park behind the Performing Arts Centre, along the road towards the back of the College and in the carparks by the Gymnasium, Mackinnon Building and Morison Centre. Please do not park in the ELC and Junior School parking areas until after 3.45 pm.

InterviewsRadford College teachers are looking forward to discussing the progress of your child this term. In preparing for the interviews, each of the teachers have been asked to consider your child’s engagement with learning, application in class, achievements to date, individual needs and ways for improvement.

If you would like to further discuss your child’s overall progress further after the interview, I would encourage you to either speak to their Tutor or Head of Year.

In addition to booked parent interviews with your child’s teachers, the Principal, Mrs Fiona Godfrey, and I will be available for informal discussions with parents (no bookings are required).

As many parents and caregivers would be aware, Transport Canberra will no longer be providing many dedicated school bus services from the beginning of Term 2.

The College has campaigned against this decision without success. We have been in discussions with a private bus company to trial replacement user-pays morning and afternoon services between Radford and Canberra's South, the area most affected by complete removal of all school bus services.

The most cost effective private services will have two pick up / drop off points only - Woden (15 Bowes St, near the Abode Hotel) and Curtin (shops street parking on Theodore Street). Extending the services beyond that was investigated, but was cost prohibitive. Parents interested in their child/ren using these services need to complete this surveyNB: Those parents who have already completed the survey do not need to re-submit the form.

The likely cost will be a flat fixed fee of about $35 per week on a per-term basis, regardless of usage. The cost will be added to student accounts for the term.

If there are insufficient numbers to support a full service, consideration may be given to running only a morning or afternoon service. Survey respondents will be advised of the outcome and a map and timetable will be provided should the services go ahead.

The P&F Association has been in contact with APFACTS, the peak non-government school parent voice for the ACT, and wants to hear from Radford parents wishing to further protest Transport Canberra's reduction in school bus services.Email: P&F@radford.act.edu.au

Music Department

The Foundation Concert this year, “The Peaceable Kingdom”, will be held in the Radford Chapel from 7pm on Saturday 30 March. The concert will be a gift of thanks to recently retired, long-term Radford staff member Richard Wardman, in acknowledgement of his many years of service to Radford Music.

The evening will feature choral performances by our Camerata and Vox choirs. They will be joined by guest artists Luminescence Chamber Singers. We are lucky to have special guest performances by Radford Collegians Katrina Waters (Class of 1993), soprano, and Katrina Vesala (Class of 2010), violin/viola, and current Radford staff member Emily Leong, piano. Read Collegians Association interviews with Katrina Waters and Katrina Vesala.

The evening promises to be a fitting musical celebration of our college and I warmly welcome all members of our community to join us. Tickets are $15 and available from TryBooking.

Stephanie Coram

Hard work, a great concert, and lots of fun and food!

By Stephanie Coram

On Friday 22 February students, in Camerata choir, Corelli Chamber String Orchestra and Bernstein Symphonic Wind Orchestra headed off to Green Hills Centre for music camp. This is an annual event that provides the opportunity for students to work intensively with their co-curricular music groups, honing their skills as an ensemble and preparing for performances in the year to come.

Over the three days of music camp, each group spent over nine hours in intensive rehearsals, resulting in a fabulous concert on Sunday. Vox, our more junior auditioned choir, joined the camp rehearsals on Saturday afternoon to rehearse repertoire with Camerata that they will perform together at the Foundation Concert later this term.

It wasn’t all work, however, as the students got involved in fun water activities and of course the traditional trivia night, a highlight of the camp. We would like to thank all the staff involved, particularly Mrs Knight, for all the work they did in organising and assisting at music camp. And finally, thank you to all the students who gave up their weekend. It was fun, and no one could say we were underfed!

For the past two weeks, Mr Craddock has been training 12 of us for the Years 5 and 6 Girls AFL Belconnen Cup. We went into the competition excited and ready to play but also nervous knowing we only had just enough players and no reserves. This didn’t stop us and on Thursday 7 March we competed in the AFL Belconnen Cup. Few of the girls had ever played before and we had never played as a team. We improved remarkably throughout the day, having lots of fun along the way. The 12 girls (Lussia, Amber, Jessi, Cynara, Mary, Katherine, Bonnie, Amelia, Coco, Laura, Ellie, Makayla) played five matches and were undefeated, even without reserves.

We started our day strongly with a 72 – 4 victory and followed this up with a 92 – 0 win in our second game. We went into the finals placed in first position but by now we were exhausted. After lunch we played the finals against Weetangera. This was our hardest game. We held our positions and continued communicating with each other. After half time the scores were close. We kept working together and were able to win the game 27 – 14. It was such a thrilling victory and we all had so much fun. We won the Belconnen Cup, which finished up with a small presentation ceremony. We then went and watched the boys finish their final game. All the girls loved playing AFL and we are looking forward to competing in the Canberra Cup next term. We hope we can get some more training in, as we will be playing against the best teams of the other regions around Canberra.

By Josh Wickham, Year 6

Radford students in Years 5 and 6 were lucky enough to be a part of the Canberra AFL tournament. This year we played in the Belconnen Cup which was held at Kippax Oval. It was one of four cup tournaments, with the winners heading to the Canberra Cup, and the winners from there heading to Sydney for the grand finals.

In the boys’ part of the cup, there were five teams. Our first game gave us great confidence as we won the game 44 -7. We played well as a team, passing the ball and moving it around well. This continued into the second game as we kept them back, only allowing them to score a few points. We got some lucky marks and intercepts which led to the end of the game and the final score which was 52-4.

After that game, we had recess and had a snack and then trained and kicked the footy around. After recess we had a bye which really put us off for our next game against Aranda.We started off with a fantastic goal from Rory who kicked it from halfway. From here on we started making mistakes. We couldn’t make passes, we felt slow and not many of our kicks made it. Aranda were a much better team. They were able to get around us and score big points. We lost, finishing the game 30 points behind Aranda.

This put us into second place with Weetangera coming first. We knew if we lost we would not be able to make it to the Cup. At this point it was lunch and once again we ate and then did some training. After that we felt confident that we could pull this off, but it would be a challenge because Weetangera were undefeated.

When the game started we had not played in our positions and that gave us a really bad start to the game. Every now and then we would get down to our forwards who would kick a couple points until we got another goal. At half time we walked off, it seemed as if we had no chance of winning. Mr C. encouraged us to lift our heads and hold our positions. We went back on like a different team. We started off with a goal in the first minute and kept the momentum up and scored another goal. This continued back and forth with both teams playing some great football. In the end we fell short by 7 points. Weetangera had beaten us.

We shook hands and congratulated everyone. We had one last game to play between third and fourth. This last game was against St Monicas who played really well. The entire game was even until we managed to get a goal just before the siren. We won and ended up finishing third overall. It was a great day playing AFL.

Amanda Poland, Head of Creative Arts

Year 9 Visual Arts participate in 'Young Archies'

By Amanda Poland, Head of Creative Arts

From over 40 portraits, five Radford College Year 9 Visual Arts students had their portraits selected to be entered in the Young Archies competition for the 13-15-year-old category. The works and their statements were submitted to the Art Gallery of NSW on Friday 8 March. They are in the running to be selected to be exhibited online, as well as displayed at the Art Gallery of NSW, held in conjunction with the Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes exhibition.

At Radford we celebrate all the portraits created by Year 9 Visual Arts students in the display in the Visual Arts rooms, which is available for viewing during College hours. The portrait subjects were chosen as they are a person who is special to them, known to the artist and who plays a significant role in their life.

An artist statement is below.

This painting is of my Grandad. Grandad has such a happy and playful personality, he brightens up any room with his laugh and crazy hand gestures. This image is from when he was surrounded by his family and grandchildren and he was in his element. The intense smiley emotion he expresses in this painting reflects his personality and I feel his warmth through the artwork itself. The way he is leaning over and looking down straight into my face captures the essence of the man and how it feels when you are actually in his presence.

Jane Lilley, Teacher

National Ride 2 School Day is on Friday 22 March and we welcome all Year 3-12 students to join other Radford students and staff to ride their bikes to school.

We have arranged for teachers to meet capable bike riders at a variety of meeting points listed at the foot of this article. Our RAS team will be cooking pancakes at the Pavilion for riders who have worked up an appetite getting to school.

Please read the conditions and expectations below, and go through them with your child/children before Friday 22 March:

· A fitted helmet, and well-maintained bike with pumped tyres are essential

· Please arrive at departure point 10 mins before departure time

· It is the responsibility of the parent to ensure that their child arrives to the meeting place punctually. Should the group depart before you arrive, it is the parent’s responsibility to ensure their child arrives safely to school

· All students will be expected to stay with the group and follow the road rules and instructions provided by Radford staff

· Due to various co-curricular commitments, the return ride will not be accompanied by staff. This will be the responsibility of each family to arrange the return ride with their child

· In the case of wet weather, drizzle, rain or lightning the ride will be cancelled and a notification will be added to the Announcements page of Radford Online.

· If your child is in PK-Yr 2, or is a less-confident Year 3-6 rider, they are welcome to ride if they are accompanied by a parent/adult carer.

· Asthmatics must carry their own puffer with them in their bag

Fluorescent reflective ankle straps and/or vests can make your child more visible to road traffic and you may choose to use these should you wish to provide additional safety measures.

Please note departure locations and times below, and arrive at departure point 10 minsbefore departure time:

ARANDA: Meet at the underpass on Bandjalong Street for a 7.50am departure

HAWKER: Meet Carpark at KFC for 7.30am departure

FLOREY: Meet at the Bicycle Path at the end of Edman Close for a 7.40am departure

GIRALANG: Meet on the bicycle path on Chuculba Crescent (parallel to Baldwin Drive) for a 7.40am departure

O'CONNOR: Meet on the cycle path on Dryandra Street at the bottom of O'Connor Ridge (near the driveway of old Canberra Motor Inn) for a 7.45am departure

Radford’s Claire Huang has been invited to participate in the Australian Mathematical Olympiad Selection School.

The Year 11 student was asked to sit two selection tests, each lasting four hours, on two consecutive days, to gain a place at the prestigious school to be held at Chatswood from Saturday 23 March to Monday 1 April.

Forty-six students from around Australia will attend the Selection School, which develops their mathematical problem-solving skills and assists selection of the Australian team for this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad.

“You spend 10 days doing very high-level maths, developing your skills, meeting people across Australia that also have the same passion that you do,” she explained.

This is the third time Claire has attended an Australian Mathematical Olympiad Selection School and she says her passion for maths really started to develop when she was in Year 8.

“In Canberra they have the Maths Enrichment Program, so I got invited to that in Year 8 which I suppose helped me see much harder and more beautiful maths.”

Claire, who also enjoys playing basketball and tennis, as well as singing in Radford's Camerata and Chorale choirs, cites her father and her mathematics teachers as major influences.

“My Dad’s always been very passionate about maths, so I used to spend a lot of time, I still do, with him just doing very hard problems and discussing them but also the teachers at Radford are amazing, they’ve been incredibly supportive, and they’ve taught me a lot of things that I never thought were possible with maths.”

Head of Mathematics Andrew Barber praised Claire's achievement.

"Claire is thoroughly deserving of this opportunity. She approaches her studies in mathematics enthusiastically, shares her knowledge with her peers and really embraces the challenge of high powered mathematics. Claire has a great sense of mathematical wonderment and I am sure she will enjoy every second of her time at the Selection School," Mr Barber said.

Jane Smith, Head of Student Support and Enrichment

A study skills program for our students in Years 7-11

By Jane Smith, Head of Student Support and Enrichment

This year, the College is introducing a study skills program for our students in Years 7-11. On Tuesday 19 March, Elevate Education will be delivering seminars to each year group for the duration of one period. Elevate Education has worked with over 1400 high schools in Australia and further afield. Elevate Education aims to deliver seminars that help students “improve their study skills, increase motivation, build confidence and lift academic performance” (Elevate Education). Their presenters are university students who will share their own experiences, tips and stories of academic success.

Collegians Association

Jane co-owns Saloon Design House in Braidwood

Article supplied by Radford Collegians Association

Saloon Design House is getting some serious national exposure, thanks to the National Gallery of Australia. Jane and Dena have designed a dress in response to the incredibly beautiful and intriguing paintings in the current NGA & Tate Love & Desire exhibition.

The National Gallery of Australia commissioned 80 pieces for its gift store for the current blockbuster Love and Desire. When a curator was looking for “long dresses in Liberty print” to stock at the gallery shop during the blockbuster, Saloon was the perfect choice. The Love & Desire Pre-Raphaelite dress is exclusive to the NGA and only available in very limited supply.

Saloon stocks clothing for the wild and the wise, sublime handmade dresses to wear every day, made in the finest fabrics in store. Owners Jane Magnus (Class of 1992) and Dena Pezzano-Pharaoh are the creative forces behind the women’s fashion label: making dresses, skirts, shirts, waistcoats and scarves inspired by the “beautiful, hardworking” women of their tiny NSW home town, Braidwood.

So how did Saloon come about? As reported in the Sydney Morning Herald : “Sometimes, at preschool drop-off, magic happens. And so it was when Jane Magnus met Dena Pezzano-Pharaoh in front of Braidwood preschool in 2015. Both mums admit they’d been ‘eyeing each other off’ for months before finally uniting over a mutual admiration of cowboy boots”.

“I had a plan as soon as I met Dena and realised she was a dress maker,” Jane says. “I was a social worker with no fashion experience, so Dena is like the woman who makes all your dreams come true.

“If I hadn’t met her, Saloon would still be a fantasy in the back of my mind.”

The Saloon showroom, located at the top end of Braidwood’s main street, is more than a shop – it’s an experience. With rustic furniture, exposed brick walls and giant chandeliers, clients “come in and spend hours” browsing rack upon rack of Saloon pieces and admiring the 129-year-old building.

We got in touch with Jane and she told us that her favourite memory of her time at Radford is of all the wonderful friends she made at school, many of who she is still very close to today. Jane also added that she gets her inspiration from her beloved friends, many of who have gone on to have fulfilling careers and are wonderful, loving mothers.

Claire Melloy, Assistant Principal Student Development

Tips for supporting children experiencing grief and loss

From Claire Melloy, Assistant Principal Student Development

Grief is a natural response to loss. It might be the loss of a loved one, relationship or even a pet. The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief is likely to be. Children and adults grieve differently due to their developmental stage, and this can prove difficult for parents to understand.

Young children fluctuate in and out of the stages of grief rapidly, as they may not comprehend the permanency of death. They express their grief more physically. Teens on the other hand may not know how to express their grief and will need some space to process their loss. Some may choose to grieve alone, not wanting to stand out, or be seen as not coping. Whilst others, who may have a greater understanding, can start to question their own mortality.

In this edition of SchoolTV, parents can learn how to acknowledge their child’s feelings and the best way to support them through the grief.

If you have any concerns about your child, please contact Claire Melloy or the school counsellors.

The Radford Foundation is delighted to announce the financial support of the Boorer Foundation to provide a full six-year scholarship to a student commencing Year 7 at Radford College in 2020.

The scholarship will cover 100% of the Tuition and Capital Levy fees and up to 100% of compulsory College-related costs for six years (Years 7 through 12 inclusive).

The scholarship will be awarded to a student who demonstrates outstanding achievement and community or sporting involvement, but whose personal circumstances prevent them from enrolling at Radford. The recipient will remain anonymous throughout their six years at Radford.

The Boorer Foundation’s Chair, Margaret Hemsley, who has four sons at the College, said she has seen first-hand the benefits of a Radford education and wanted to extend that opportunity to a student who was not yet a part of the community.

'From our own life experience, my husband and I understand the value of a good, and well-rounded, education and the lifetime of opportunity such an education can provide. We are appreciative of the experience our family is enjoying at Radford and believe that, over time, scholarships such as this will change a child’s life whilst strengthening the Radford community as a whole.'

Radford Foundation Chair Jocelyn Martin said the directors were grateful for the Boorer Foundation’s support and they looked forward to awarding the scholarship to a student who would make the most of the opportunity presented to them.

Families and students wishing to apply are initially asked to complete and submit this two-page application form by the closing date of Friday, 31 May 2019.

Shortlisted applicants’ families will then be required to complete a financial statement and verify these statements, as well as provide referees. NB: Only applicants who are short-listed will be asked to complete this financial statement.

The scholarship will be awarded in time for the new student to take their place in the 2020 Year 7 orientation and induction sessions during 2019.

This is an open invitation event for adults in the Canberra community with an interest in issues relating to young people and alcohol. It is particularly suited to those caring for or working with Year 7–9 students.

'Parents often wait until it is too late before setting rules and boundaries around alcohol and parties. Put simply, if you haven’t had a discussion with your child about this area by the beginning of Year 9, at the latest, you are almost certainly going to have problems in the future.'

Using the most recent data on the use of alcohol by school-based young people, this presentation will discuss the growing evidence on the risks associated with this practice. There will also be a close examination of the positive influence that parents can have on their child’s drinking behaviour, as well as some of the barriers that they may face during adolescence. It aims to empower parents with a positive message and assist them in having open and honest family discussions in this complex area.

P&F Association

Radford College P&F Association is fundraising with Entertainment. Funds raised by the P&F are donated to the College in support of projects to benefit the students. One recent project was a minibus used to transport students to excursions, service activities, outdoor education and so on.

College minibus sponsored by P&F Association

Your support really helps the College, so we’re thrilled to let you know about special bonus Early Bird Entertainment Membership Offers for loyal supporters.

Pre-order the NEW 2019 | 2020 Entertainment Membership (book or digital membership) and receive bonus offers you can use right away.

Announcements

School Sport Australia Championships

School Sport Aust Championships – registration

Message for 10, 11 and 12 year old ACT Championship competitors. Registrations close Friday 15 March for School Sport Australia Championships in September in Darwin. Be sure to nominate events when you register. How to register